Devices for preventing the opening of a closed door are numerous and varied in design and complexity. These devices range from simple door chains and key activated door locks, slide bolts and padlocks to more sophisticated apparatus. Many devices rely upon the structural integrity of the door device and the door frame for safety, yet an intruder attempting a forced entry can readily overpower many of these devices and gain entry through the door.
One device for limiting the movement of a door from a closed position is a door brace which is pivotally secured at the lower end to the floor and which extends in an angular direction into abutment with the door. The upper end of a door brace is received within a vertically extending slot in the door such that movement of the door from a closed position will urge the upper end of the brace to the top of the slot whereby the brace will contact a stop and thus resist further movement of the door. Such devices, in addition to being visually distracting, tend to extend some distance from the door, thereby presenting a hazardous obstacle to an inattentive person who may inadvertently trip over the brace.
A more recent development in door stops, commercially known as the "Door Club" is a floor mounted device which allows an occupant to prevent or limit the ability of a potential intruder to gain a forced entry through the door. This device comprises a shaft adapted to be slidably received in a tubular receptacle seated within a hole in the floor near the door. The shaft extends upwardly into the pathway of the door, effectively limiting movement of the door. Integral with the shaft are parallel horizontal cross members joined to one another at their ends by two semicircular portions which are parallel to one another but which project horizontally at right angles to the parallel cross members. When the shaft is slid into the receptacle with the semicircular portions extending toward the door, the semicircular portions contact the closed door and prevent opening of the door. By removing the shaft of the door club from the receptacle, rotating it 180.degree. about its axis, and reinstalling it in the receptacle, the door can be opened a small but finite distance for limited viewing and access.
A modification of the Door Club, adapted for use on sliding doors, utilizes a plurality of holes spaced apart along the door track, with the hole closest to the door when in a closed position adapted to co-act with the door stop to prevent any movement of the door when closed. The door may be opened progressively wider by removing the door stop from the first hole and placing it in one of the other holes along the track.
One of the features of the Door Club is the requirement that one or more holes be provided in the floor at or near the closed door. With the relatively widespread use in residential construction of materials such as marble or slate to construct a foyer, builders and homeowners may be reluctant to drill holes through such material for the insertion of a sleeve to receive a door stop.